The world’s oldest wooden building

Horyuji Temple near Nara, Japan

Horyuji Temple is the oldest wooden building in the world and one of the oldest temples in Japan. It’s no wonder it was Japan’s first World Heritage Site!

Have you ever wondered where the oldest wooden building in the world is? I know it’s a question that has kept me awake many a night 🙂

But don’t fear, today I have the answer.

Not far from the Japanese city of Nara, in the Kansai region, is a temple complex called Horyuji.

In some ways, it’s in the middle of nowhere – the town around it is nothing to speak of, just an uninspiring mix of shops, homes and vending machines.

But the jewel in this town is the temple complex which holds inside it some of Japan’s most important national treasures.

The five-storey pagoda and the main hall were both originally built around the year 600AD but after a fire were rebuilt around the year 700AD. 26 other building in the complex were built before 800AD.

All of them together are undisputed as the oldest wooden buildings in the world – the pagoda, being the first built, would take out the title for the absolute oldest.

You have to remember that this is all happening during a period of the world’s history that is hard to imagine for us today.

Mohammed is walking the earth; the Mayan civilisation is flourishing in South America; and the Anglo-Saxons are taking control of Britain after the fall of the Roman empire.

Meanwhile the Japanese are building wooden temples that are still standing more than 1300 years later!

While Islam is spreading across the Middle East and North Africa, and Christianity is battling for supremacy in Europe, Buddhism makes its way from China to Japan.

These buildings at Horyuji are also considered to be the first Buddhist monuments in Japan and had a huge influence on religious architecture for the centuries to come.

They were able to be built because of the support of a man called Prince Shotoku, who was considered to be a great statesman and a founder of Buddhism in Japan.

The story of how Horyuji Temple came to be is engraved on the back of the halo of the Yakushi Nyorai Buddha statue, which is in the temple’s main hall.

Horyuji may not be as famous as the nearby temples in Nara or Kyoto.

It’s strange, in some ways, because it is a much more important site. In fact, Horyuji contains over 2,300 important cultural and historical structures and other items.

It is more than just a collection of temples – it is a library or a gallery of the story of Buddhism in Japan.

Perhaps part of the problem is that Horyuji doesn’t have the same striking views from the top of a mountain, or pink cherry blossom framings, that you can find in Kyoto or Nara.

But there’s a reason this was the first site in Japan to be recognised by UNESCO and included on the World Heritage List. When you visit and see it for yourself, I promise you’ll start to appreciate the significance.

On the day I visit, there are more Japanese school groups than foreign tourists here. Perhaps it’s not that well-known internationally.

It’s not normally on the front page of the cultural brochures but, without what it represents, those pages might be empty.

Visiting Horyuji Temple

It’s actually really hard to find a guided tour that will take you to Horyuji so I don’t have any specific ones to recommend, I’m afraid. However, I assume you’ll also be interested in seeing Kyoto and Nara, so I’ll share a few recommendations for tours in those cities:

It's very easy to get to Horyuji Temple by public transport. To get to Horyuji station, it's 13 minutes from Nara station or 30 minutes from Osaka station on the JR Yamatoji Line. From Horyuji station, it's an easy 15 minute walk, or the NC bus will take just 5 minutes.

When is Horyuji Temple open?

From February 22 until November 3, Horyuji Temple is opne from 8:00 - 17:00. From November 4 until February 21, it is open from 08:00 - 16:30.

How much does it cost to visit Horyuji Temple?

A full admission ticket is ￥1500 (US$13.30) and a concession ticket is ￥750 (US$6.65).

Good deal about getting there on a day when it was more about students than tourists…I think it’s always a better exploration when you aren’t surrounded by too many others who are there for photos/etc. More private.

Great stuff, as always….love the structures….can’t wait to get to Japan!

The 3 storied pagoda of Hokki-ji, about 15/20 min. walk north of Horyu-ji, is a bit older than any of the structures at Horyu-ji. The difference is that it has never burned down, so it has been standing since the temple was first built in the Asuka period.

Thanks for the comment, Kevin. I had a look into this and most of the things I’ve read say the pagoda at Horyu-ji was founded first. But, you’re right, they were both built at pretty much the same time (within a few decades of each other) and I guess it’s hard for people to be certain exactly – especially when there were fires and reconstructions.

i think there is a common misunderstanding, Horu-ji is one of oldest wooden structure around, but certainly not the oldest. it is not fully constructed in wood, yet with clay and others. but pagoda of fogong temple in Shanxi, China was of wood structure through the whole building. it has a fine line to this categorization. hope this comment would help to clarify. Thanks.

Thanks for the extra info, Archer. I think, like many of these things, you can find a justification for whichever place you want. It’s rarely a simple answer to things like ‘the oldest’ or the ‘most authentic’ or anything like that. I’ll have to try to get to Shanxi to see this other temple, though!

I love japan. Japanese architecture is a mixture of amazing precision and skills to do the building properly. It withstands earthquakes and so that is amazing because it is still standing for how many years. That building doesn’t use nails but still it is one of the oldest and strongest type of building. Their genius and capability to that amazing art is phenomenal

Hi, your contact us section isn’t working, tells me that my email address is not valid. Do you know what timber the temple is built with, a species of pine perhaps? Obviously very durable, must be one of the reasons for the longevity of the building, I guess the climate is also suitable.

Went out on my bike this morning to Koryu-ji, to see Kyoto oldest building, apparently the second oldest in Japan. Back home I searched for the world’s oldest, and found your enthusiastic and informative post. Thanks! I love seeing and touching all the old wooden buildings around Kyoto. Incredible that they survived fires and wats and all else in hundreds of years of history. As you say, hard to imagine the context in which these things were built.

Model of world’s oldest wooden craft!Japan is showing the world that development and historical preservation can go together. If you dont believe have a trip to japan and see the example,Horyuji!

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This is the website of travel writer, Michael Turtle. After working in broadcast journalism for a decade in Australia, Michael left Sydney to travel the world indefinitely and write about the places, people and experiences he discovers. This isn't a diary - these are real stories from the world.

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